James Ballard grew up just outside of Dallas, and moved to the Tampa area in 1992. He is a Florida CPA and member of the Tampa Ernst & Young tax practice where he focuses on corporate income taxation. James holds Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in accounting from the University of Florida and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants. James has served on the Governance Board of Focus Academy since 2017.  He resides in the Tampa area with wife Kristi and their two children: Daniel and Samantha.